Zanzibar

Below is a selection of the hotels we have visited, whose quality we guarantee. Their main distinction is that they cater either for families and couples, or for couples only (in italics below). In fact, many hotels now prohibit children under 16 from entering. When the hotel has fewer than 10 rooms, this restriction is perfectly understandable, for reasons of space and tranquility.

We don’t spontaneously offer hotels in Nungwi. For us, the north of the island is too prone to full moon parties, nightclubs and beaches full of beach boys. If you want to party on the island, however, we’ll be happy to help you find the best place! (We’ll have some great places to share!)

East coast        

Matemwe : Zanzibar Queen Hotel, Alladin

Kiwengwa : Blue Bay Beach Resort, Diamonds Mapenzi

Michamvi : Konokono, Karafuu, Baladin

Bwejuu : Tiki Beach

Paje : Ndame Paje, Kisiwa

Jambiani : Mamamapambo, New Teddy’s on the beach, Alma boutique hotel, Kupaga villas boutique hotel, Savera beach houses, Dhow Resort, Driftwood beach lodge, the Loop, Fun beach, Casa del Mare, Kobe House

Sud      

Kizimkazi : Promised land lodge, Karamba

There are two options for your stay on the island:

1. Stay in a single hotel to relax and easily explore the island’s many attractions. Only Stonetown on the west coast is worth visiting.

2. An itinerant tour with a few days in the north, south and east to discover the island and soak up the different atmospheres of each place.

Various activities are available. We have tested the following activities and recommend them without restriction. Other activities such as Cuza Cave and The Rock Restaurant are also possible, but very (too?) touristy for our taste.

Our French-speaking guides will be happy to accompany you.

Nungwi or Kizimkazi

Safari Blue (from $80 for two with snorkeling only, $100 dolphins + snorkeling, $160 with meals)

Aboard a dhow, departure for Mnemba. The story goes that this is Bill Gates’ private island, which is why we’re not allowed to go near it. Fun fact: no one has ever seen him there or on the island. So you’ll stay just a few hundred meters from the atoll, first swimming with the dolphins, then snorkeling in water so transparent you can see the seabed filled with the most colorful and diverse fish. The inventors of Nemo must have passed through Mnemba when writing their screenplay! On the boat, a sumptuous fruit platter fills you up.

Another blue safari is available from the south of the island (Kizimkazi) on a larger boat, with around twenty other people.

Spice tour (from $50 with local meal for two)

This activity can be done from all four points of the island, as it is located in the middle of the land. There are government farms and local farms. We encourage visits to local farms, which allow local people to benefit directly from the money we pay them, rather than the government.

You’ll then set off for a two-hour stroll among the cinnamon and cherimoya trees, the fruit trees of Annona, the roucous or lipstick trees, whose seeds give their color to red curry and tandoori, the pepper trees, the ginger, turmeric and lemongrass plants. At the end of the tour, enjoy a delicious beef pilau cooked with many of the spices encountered during the visit.

Jozani Forest (from $80 for two) A one-and-a-half to two-hour tour through a forest of trees, each more sumptuous than the last, in search of red colobus monkeys. Reminiscent of an Easter egg hunt! It all depends on the day and your luck: since we’re in the wild and the monkeys aren’t fed or trained to come to you, the chance of seeing one is random. This visit is essentially an opportunity to walk in the wild and discover the flora and fauna. This activity is less essential if you’re returning from a safari in the big parks.